Edmond Clinic Provides Free Services For The Uninsured

For a lot of Oklahomans, accessing affordable healthcare can be a challenge. If you don’t have insurance, the task can be nearly impossible. 

Ministries of Jesus in Edmond is stepping in to try to fill in some of the gaps in coverage. 

“We have a medical-dental clinic that that sees only the uninsured, we have a license professional counseling center,” said Executive Director Kim Swyden.  

For 21 years The Ministry of Jesus has been providing free care for uninsured Oklahomans.  

“We have about 38 volunteer physicians, 13 different specialties,” said Swyden.  

Some of the top doctors in the city, in most every field, volunteer their time, bringing hope, healing and compassion to anyone that needs it. Like the homeless woman found in a Walmart parking lot, with some mental instabilities and in desperate need of medical care.  

“She saw our doctors, she saw our counselors, her life began to change. She started her own business and now is a donor,” said Swyden.  

The foundation is supported by donations, making every service they offer free.  

“It’s honestly hard to describe how special this place is to people,” said volunteer Marial Colley.  

Colley became a patient with the clinic while in college, but after she was able to get insurance, she wasn’t quite ready to part ways from the place that meant so much to her.  

“Because I loved everyone so much, I asked can I please volunteer? And they said yeah,” said Colley.  

“I was even questioning God, like maybe I’m not supposed to be a physician anymore,” said Dr. Sherri Tucker, medical director for the ministry.  

Dr. Tucker volunteered her time for about 10 years and found the joy of her work came when she was at the ministry. She started on staff 11 years ago, and believes it revived her passion for her work.  

“I had about 15 minutes per patient, which wasn’t very conducive to all that I wanted to talk with them about but here, I had time,” said Dr. Tucker.  

“We’ve given away 32 million dollars in free medical dental care. We’ve given away 32 thousand hours in one-on-one counseling,” said Swyden.  

As beneficial as it is for the patients, the volunteers would debate who benefits more.  

“I love it. It’s so fun, I honestly look forward to it. It’s fantastic. Everyone here is great,” said Colley.  

The Ministries of Jesus is always looking for volunteers as well as doctors and donors. if you’re interested in their services visit their website.